Tigers' James Outman decision pretty much sums up their 2026 season

Ahead of the Tigers' Sunday finale against the Royals, they promoted Andrew Sears for his MLB debut and made the only correct roster decision to accommodate him: they designated James Outman for assignment.

Outman had been on the 7-day IL with a concussion since Aug. 13. He was sent on a rehab assignment to Triple-A despite the very limited amount of time he missed — but in retrospect, it was definitely just the give the Tigers a couple extra days to figure out their roster replacement for him. He went 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in Toledo.

Even if the Tigers hadn't called up Sears, letting go of Outman would've been the only option when he was healthy. If they had sacrificed Brett Callahan or Ben Malgeri for him, fans would never let them hear the end of it.

But the decision was well overdue. There's no reason Outman should've been on this roster for over two months to hit .183 with a .606 OPS and strike out in 45% of his at-bats.

This has been a trend with the Tigers this season. They've been a step behind (or many, many steps behind) all season long.

Tigers' long overdue James Outman DFA is an indictment on their entire 2026 season

This has been reflected in the clearest possible way: the Tigers have not been at or above .500 since May 4, and have spent the rest of the season trying to find a way to claw their way back. After suffering a series loss to the Pirates, they fell to fourth in the AL Central. After being swept by the Royals, they're eight games under .500 and 3.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot, which the Guardians currently claim.

Even when the Tigers were the best team in the American League in June, they were still fighting against a current. Just a few weeks ago, after winning their first series against Cleveland this year, they were so close to .500 we could practically taste it. It's all been downhill from there.

Outman wasn't the only problem with this team. Since their remarkable June to early August run, the Tigers' offense has gone quiet. The bullpen has always been a problem. The rotation is missing Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. There are still five weeks left of the season, but very little hope that the Tigers figure out how to make their way back from this one.

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